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The L4D series is more than just four people running around shooting zombies. There's a lot of thought and planning that goes into beating a level. A lot of new players come into this game expecting one of two things; either a massive, endless horde of random zombies coming at you, or two four-player teams that fight for survival. As true as these ideas may seem, L4D2 is much more complicated than either of these.
Survival is a learning process, and I'm here to show you how to better survive in the environment given. I won't be going into Map details in this article, just general ideas that everyone should know to help them survive longer. Basics:

To some this portion of the article may seem useless, but a lot of people have trouble with the basic mechanics of the game.

First, melee is your friend, use it and use it often. I see a lot of players being surrounded by hordes and only shooting. Players need to get into the habit of using the melee button to knock back zombies, especially when you are trying to save a teammate.

Always crouch. When you're being attacked by zombies its always a good idea to crouch to allow your teammates to shoot the zombies off without hitting you.

Aim high or aim low. Getting into the habit of aiming either for the head or the legs is very helpful when you start playing realism vs (Rvs.) On regular versus (Reg vs) gut shots are easy kills with most weapons. However, on Rvs leg shots do the same damage as head shots do. L4D2 zombies die the instant a leg is shot off.

Move fast, and move often. This doesn't necessarily mean to constantly rush, but to choose your rushes carefully. The best thing for a team is to have a set route to follow. Find landmarks and run to them. After you reach your destination, clear the horde and SI, and run again. Rinse and repeat. Be careful not to stay in one place too long but you also don't want to be caught by an SI and have to kill it and the horde chasing you. It will only leave you with little health.

L4D is like driving, always look in your mirrors. Constantly look for your teammates even in Reg vs. Keeping check on where they are will save you if one gets pulled or pounced. Check for teammates when turning corners or at choke points. Basically, think of the map as a road you're driving down. Anywhere you would normally check your mirrors when driving down this road then that's when you look for teammates. Count them out, and if one's behind let everyone else know.

Weapon load out is key, find your best. Some people like shotguns, some like automatics, and others like snipers. Find the gun that suits you and learn it well. Shotguns are horde killers, but they have little range. Make sure you have one short rage horde killer (Shotguns, melee, scar) and one long range weapon (snipers, autos, pistols). You don't want to be stuck reloading your shotgun or running to a teammate with your melee while they're being pounded into the ground.

Last but not least, communication. Let your team know what you're doing. Tell them if you're going to shop, hit the SV, or have been pinned. Call out SI, and where you think they are even if you know the rest of the players know it, say it anyways. Who knows, they could have been paying attention to something else.

Separation:

Separation can be helpful, but you need to do it wisely. It's sometimes good to have one player about 3-5 feet away from the group. This player should be the strong suit in the group. They're the ones that will be doing most of the saving. However, with them being away from the team it also makes them a bigger target. For the most part you need to stay close, but there are areas where a little separation helps.

Stopping spawns can mean a win on vs. Once you've learned the maps and are comfortable enough with your play that you know you can separate from the group and be fine, then you should start thinking about stopping spawns. Every map has places where you know the SI will hit, and it's good to stop them there and allow your team to move up or fight the horde without having to worry about SI. If you plan on doing this, you need to remember to let your team know what you're doing and where you're going.

Put as much stuff between you and zombies as you can. Zombies don't jump, and they aren't very bright. This leaves them vulnerable when trying to get to you. Get high, and they have to climb to you. Instead of running around a prop, jump over it. It's stuff like this that will keep you two steps ahead of them, and allow you to kill them easier. The same thing goes for some SI as well, getting behind or on top of props make you a harder target for chargers and spitters. It also can keep you from getting pulled long distances (depending on the prop).

Set up:

Lastly, learn a good set up for you're team. This goes to everything in L4D. Gauge your team's skill and place people by that. Newer players should be 1st or 2nd in the rush. The first player tends to get the hordes attention but they mainly attack the mid and back players. Being first requires some skill to take care of boomers, and to be able to run and check your teammates.

The 2nd player watches the first guy's back. If they fall back, then you all fall back. The 2nd player in the group tends to be the one hunted. This causes greater separation in the group, and opens you up for big attacks by the SI.

The third player is responsible for making sure the 4th doesn't fall behind. They also are the ones that have to face most of the hordes. At the beginning of the maps, the third person is the one focused on by SI. This causes player four to be further separated from the group while the first two are running to the first point.

Player four is the SI target for most of the game. They will get pulled, charged, and mounted the most out of the other players. It's good for this player to be the most vocal of the group, and to be able to handle themselves if and when they get separated.

Hopefully this little information goes a long way with the newer guys. These are just the basics, and I plan on getting into more specific points in other articles.